Editor's Note: Steve Schmidt is one of the founding members of the Lincoln Project. He is a communications and public affairs strategist who has worked on several Republican campaigns, including John McCain's 2008 bid for the White House, and he is now a regular political contributor to MSNBC. On Friday, Steve Schmidt responded to the news that Microsoft plans to continue to give financial contributions to Republicans who voted to overturn the presidential election on Jan. 6. MaxNewsToday has assembled this 8-tweet thread and reprinted it as one easy-to-read op-ed for our ongoing segment, Schmidt Storm. It has been edited for accuracy, grammar and clarity. The Lincoln Project will have an announcement forthcoming with regard to the public actions we intend to direct against Microsoft in the public square. It will consist of a broadcast and digital advertising campaign. It will be aimed at the Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, and the Microsoft Board of Directors. It will be aimed at Microsoft employees and customers. This action will not stop until Microsoft commits to living its stated values and stops financing the Members of Congress who voted to nullify millions of Black votes after a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. During that attack, which was incited by the lying of the Members Brad Smith has pledged to finance, the American flag was torn down and a MAGA flag hoisted in its place. An American flag was used to beat a Police Officer and 5 people were killed. Microsoft was quick to make statements in support of BLM and racial justice, yet they are committing to finance a new JIM CROW where white Republicans can vote to throw out Black votes, because they voted against the preferred candidate of those members. It is cynical and it is despicable. Microsoft has decided to remain a financier of the BIG LIE, sedition, insurrection and the nullification of millions of Black votes. The mob that attacked the Capitol was made up of an amalgam of fascists, Proud Boys, racist thugs, neo-Nazis, whites supremacists, conspiracy theorists and would-be executioners. They were there to overthrow the government and kill the elected representatives of the American people. It seems Microsoft President Brad Smith is unfazed. I wonder if his bad judgment is rattling the Board, shareholders and his boss? We will find out soon. The First Amendment is our sword and our shield. The Lincoln Project will lay this all out in the public square in defense of democracy.
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